HOF064: TRAN Quoc Tuy

Tran Quoc Tuy’s young family of four left Vietnam by boat with 83 passengers on August 20, 1979. He, his wife and 2 children witnessed many tragedies during their perilous journey to freedom. Thai pirates attacked their boat several times. One passenger lost his life during the attacks.

Workers from an Esso Oil Platform managed by Australian employees eventually rescued the refugees. They were brought to a refugee camp in the vicinity of Singapore. During the family’s stay in Singapore, they requested asylum from Canadian Immigration officials who approved their application.

The family arrived in Montreal on February 1, 1980. The congregation of the St-Remi Catholic Church sponsored them. In time, the family grew. The couple welcomed five more children. Tran Quoc Tuy was able to care for his family by working at different jobs: as a strawberry picker and a Canadair employee. During that period, he pursued his education. He obtained a Master’s degree in Naval Engineering from l’ École Polytechnique de l’Université de Sherbrooke in southern Québec.

He eventually secured a job as a professor in a Montreal CEGEP in the 1990’s. Today, he is now retired after a long career in the teaching profession.